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OUR 108TH YEAR ■ NO. 29 PERRY, HOUSTON COUNTY. GEORGIA, THURSDAY JULY 20, 1978 26 PAGES 2 SECTIONS 15«~
$6.7 Million This Year
Building “Boom”
Soars To Record
High In Houston
The construction boom
in Houston County ap
pears to be maintaining
its momentum, according
to a report submitted to
county commissioners
last week by County
Building Inspector Fred
Beard.
Beard's report for June
states that construction
costs amounted $1.3
million, as compared to
construction cost of
$616,731 for the same
Council
Meeting
Cancelled
The city council
meeting that normally
would have been held
Tuesday, July 18 was
not held because council
met July 11 as a result of
the holiday on July 4.
Mayor James
McKinley said council
had decided to wait until
Aug. 1 to hold the next
regular meeting due to
inadequate business
that could justify
another session.
s
Branch Named Publisher And Officer Os Group
Agreement Reached For The Home Journal
To Join The Grimes Newspaper Group
An agreement has been
reached for The Houston
Home Journal to become
part of a Georgia and
Alabama newspaper
group headed by Millard
B. Grimes.
In making the an
nouncement today,
Bobby Branch, publisher
of The Home Journal,
said: "I am very pleased
at this opportunity for
The Home Journal to be
affiliated with a larger
organization and believe
it will help our newspaper
keep pace with the ex
ceptional growth and
progress in Perry,
Houston County and
Middle Georgia."
Branch and wife,
Becky, have owned all
stock in The Home
Journal since January,
1977.
Branch will continue as
publisher and editor of
The Home Journal and
will also become an of
ficer and consultant with
Grimes Publications,
The Houston Home Journal
One Os Georgia’s Leading Community Newspapers
month last year.
The building inspector
stated that he issued 65
building permits last
month on construction
costs of $1,372,632. In
referring to
the same month last
year, his Beard noted
that his office issued 30
building permits.
Cost of building per
mits in June 1978
K-Mart Store To
Open August 3
JL . C7
A firm date has been set for the opening of
the 52,280 square-foot K mart discount
department store in Perry on Sam Nunn
Blvd.
The doors will open to the public at 9:00
a.m., Thursday, August 3.
Now that the opening date is definite, an
extensive advertising campaign is being
prepared. Commenting on this, the
management stated: “Our concept is to stock
only first quality goods and price everything
to move in large quantities. Present plans for
the opening provide for what we feel will be
remarkable savings to our customers.”
which will be the parent
company of The Home
Journal.
Grimes is a former
editor of the Columbus
Enquirer and was
publisher and editor of
The Opelika-Auburn
News in Opelika,
Alabama from 1969 until
early this year. He
resigned that post
following the sale of the
newspaper to form his
own group.
A native of Newnan,
Georgia, he is a graduate
of the University of
Georgia and spent nearly
20 years in various posts
on the Columbus
newspaper, serving from
1962 to 1969 as Enquirer
editor.
"This section of
Georgia has been a
favorite of mine since
childhood days when I
used to visit my grand
father's farm near
Perry," Grimes said
today*The opportunity to
work with Bobby Branch,
amounted to $3,497, as
compared to permit costs
of $1,589 for the same
month last year.
In addition to the
building permits. Beard's
June report states that he
issued 47 plumbing
permits, 72 electrical
permits, and 40 heating
and air conditioning
permits. During June of
1977, his office issued 21
who is one of the out
standing young
publishers in Georgia,
and to aid in the
development of The
Home Journal, was
exactly the kind of
association our company
was looking for."
"We aren't large but
we have a definite
commitment to com
munity journalism and to
putting out newspapers
that make readers eager
to get every issue. We
also recognize the
responsibility to ad
vertisers and the
newspaper's role in
promoting business
growth."
"The Home Journal Is
already one of the slate's
most respected weekly
newspapers and has been
for many years under the
leadership of Branch and
such men as Byron
Maxwell and the late
Cooper Etheridge."
"But certainly we all
believe the Home
plumbing permits, 38
electrical permits and 21
heating and air con
ditioning permits.
Thus far in 1978, Beard
reported that his office
had issued 301 permits for
total building costs of $6.7
million, as compared to
211 permits and con
struction costs of $4.7
million during the first
six months of 1977.
During the first six
months of 1978, Beard
said he also issued 216
plumbing permits, 317
electrical permits and 193
heating and air con
ditioning permits.
As compared to the
same six-month period in
1977, Beard said heJssued
106 plumbing permits, 215,
electircal permits, and
126 heating and air
conditioning permits.
In the first six months
of 1978, Beard's depart
ment made 93 final in
spections, 50 foundation
inspections, 43 rough
framing inspections and
59 electrical inspections.
During the same period
in 1977, he said his office
conducted 22 finals, 24
foundations, 37 rough
framing and 22 electrical
inspections.
Journal's greatest days -
as well as Perry's - lie
ahead, and Bobby has
chosen to join our
organization with an eye
toward additional
development."
Grimes is the grandson
of the late C.B. Grimes,
Sr. of Peach County, and
his step grandmother,
Mrs. Grimes, still lives in
Fort Valley. He is the
nephew of Mr. and Mrs.
J I
Millard Grimes Bobby Branch
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County Agents Visit Perry
County agricultural agents from throughout
Georgia assembled in Perry last Thursday to
inspect no-till planting methods on Houston
County farms. Tom Thompson of Perry, right, of
To Tune Os SIB,OOO
Vandals Hit Schools
Thieves and vandals
looted and damaged
Houston County schools
to the tune of more than
SIB,OOO during the past
school year, according to
a report released by the
Board of Educafion last
week.
The report of property
damage for fiscal year
1977-78 placed the total
damage to school
property at $8,697 based
on 408 incidents of van
dalism.
Os the annual total, it
was determined that
accidents accounted for
only $997 of the cost for
repairs.
In addition to the
vandalism, officials said
stolen property during
the year amounted to
Clifford Grimes Sr. of
Perry.
"Both my family af
filiations and the
association with this area
during my years as editor
of The Columbus
Enquirer, attracted me to
The Home Journal."
Grimes said.
"As some folks in
Perry know Mr. Branch
seriously considered
$9,653.99. The figure
represents theft from
schools of such items as
typewriters, television
sets, movie projectors
and calculators.
Thus the total damage
to property ($8,697.11)
added to stolen property
losses ($9,653.99)
amounts to a total annual
loss to the county school
system of $18,351.10.
The highest number of
incidents of vandalism
for the year (52) was
reported by Rumble Jr.
High in Warner Robins
with $754 in damages.
Highest cost for van
dalism ($1,643) was
reported by Pearl
Stephens School in
Warner Robins with 32
cases.
taking a job which would
have required him to
move from this com
munity he has served so
well during the past 13
years. Fortunately,
under the arrangement
now worked out, he will
remain as publisher of
the Home Journal and as
a leader in Middle
Georgia development and
in Georgia journalism,"
Grimes added.
"Although I have not
met all the members of
the Home Journal staff I
am familiar with their
outstanding work.
Grimes, 48, in addition
to serving as president
and chief executive of
ficer of his newspaper
group, writes four
editorial columns a week
which appear in The
Columbus Ledger-
Enquirer, The Opelika-
Auburn News and several
other Georgia and
Alabama newspapers.
His columns have won
seven first place awards
Triangle Chemical Co., acted as host for the tour
that included an exhibition and analysis of corn
and soybean root systems cultivated with no-till
planting methods at farms operated by Walter
Gray Jr. and Stewart Bloodworth.
Vandalism in the Perry
area amounted to 10
incidents and $407 in
damages at Perry High, 7
incidents and $l5B at
Perry Jr. High, 6 In
cidents and $145 at Perry
Elementary, 6 Incidents
and $126 at Perry Middle
and 5 incidents and s6l at
Tucker Elementary.
Other schools reporting
cases of vandalism and
the amount of damages
for the school year in
clude Bonaire with 14
cases and $239 in
damages, Centerville
with 5 cases and damages
of $94, Elberta 15 cases
for $307, Kings Chapel 3
cases for sl7, Lindsey
Elementary 8 cases for
$167, Material Center 4
cases for $32, Miller Hills
in Georgia and Alabama
Press Association
newspaper contests, and
he received the National
Newspaper Associations
top award for editorials
in 1964.
During Grimes' tenure
as publisher, the Opelika-
Auburn News placed
among the winners in the
General Excellence
category for Alabama
dailies seven of eight
years, paid circulation
increased from 7,500 to
more than 20,000.
Grimes, a Baptist, is
married to the former
Charlotte Sheridan, and
they have three children,
Jimmy, 20, Kathy, 19,
both students at Auburn
University, and Laura,
11.
In Opelika, Grimes is
chairman of the City
Library Board, a director
of the Opelika Chamber
of Commerce, a
Kiwanian and was
founder and president of
The Touchdown Club of
Elementary 13 cases tor
$l9B, New Hope
Elementary three cases
for S7O, Northslde High 37
cases for $469, Northslde
Jr. High 12 cases for $179,
and Parkwood
Elementary 20 cases for
$396.
Russell Elementary
reported 1 case for sl2 In
damages, Shirley Hills
Elementary reported 15
cases for $2lO, Southslde
Elementary reported 3
cases for sl9, Tabor 9
cases for $268, Thomas
Elementary 17 cases for
$233, Warner Robins Jr.
High 18 cases for $619,
Watson Elementary 21
cases for $335 and
Westside Elementary
reported 31 cases for $725
in damages.
Auburn and Opelika.
Grimes served on the
Georgia Press
Association Board from
1966 1968, was chairman
of the Georgia Press
Institute in 1969, and this
month was appointed to a
new term on the GPA
board, representing the
Association's 6th District
which includes Perry. He
was the first chairman of
the Advisory Board for
Auburn University's
Journalism - Speech
Communications Depart
ment, and has been
legislative chairman for
The Alabana Press
Association since 1974.
Other stockholders in
Grimes Publications
include Yetta G. Sam
ford, vice president;
Charlotte S. Grimes,
secretary; John V.
Denson, treasurer; and
L. Bradford Ashmore,
Paul Cox, Dorothy
Mitchell and Guy Rhodes,
all of Opelika and
Auburn.